greydos

no Shelvey was just in white which was the other team.

Not sure if I’m allowedtor link to the NUFC website, but in the Shelvey interview, there’s a clip from training and Bruno and Big Joe we’re both on the green bib team. Bruno deeper, Joe further up on the left. Shelvey on opposite team. I’m trying not to read too much into it…

Can these updates be published in the yellow ticker please? (No joke) Edit: okay, so I’m like 10% joking.

The problem with Schar’s position on that chart is that it ignores the fact he often carries the ball beyond the press (usually as Shelvey’s shat himself so given it back to Schar) then gives it simple (usually sideways) to Manq/Fraser/Krafth. So his simple sideways pass is from higher up the pitch than Lascelles. Which means he’s actually far more progressive he’s just dribbled and passed sideways not stood still and hoofed it like Lascelles.

LOL, i did say underneath “it’s a big if”. The logic is fine.

This will likely come across a bit controversial/mental, but I actually think Ritchie can play a role for us this season. If we’re 2-0 up with say 20 minutes to play, he’d be a good wide midfielder to just help us retain possession and bring the game to stalemate. He’s got good feet in tight spots and with Bruno, Trippier, Burn and Targett in the team we would be much better retaining possession for the sake of it against some teams. I appreciate this is a pretty niche use and it’s a big if that we’ve got a lead to protect but I can see a little value in Ritchie for that reason.

Yes, the medical bed is only 4foot long so they did bottom half yesterday and top half today. Let’s hope he has a pulse!

This topic is just so sad at the moment. For all the people saying ASM is too individualistic and has to work on team awareness you really need to take an honest appraisal of our team. Our centre midfield has no legs. So of course ASM when he receives the ball on half way, he can make it to the edge of the box with great skill in say 5 seconds, but he then has to hold the ball for 10 seconds whilst our snow-plough midfield plods forward. If ASM was breaking with Dyer, Speed, Bellamy joining the attack he’d have 3 competent players with him instantly. Yet his reality for 2 years has been if he breaks he has to wait for Shelvey, Longstaff, Hayden to catch up. And those 3, as slow as they are, don’t have the balls to bust it to get forward as they know they’ll likely lose it and leave a massive gap to Lascelles, Clark, Krafth and the like, who in turn will be very slow to progress up. In short, often ASM has to beat players, move up the pitch and then wait like 20 seconds for his team to arrive up with him, as this newcastle team has no way of controlling possession so the whole team is up the pitch together. He’s holding the ball in a way that’s necessary. Put him in a better team and that changes I think. For a start, if the midfield can progress the team up the pitch (hello Bruno G!), he’d receive the ball more often 30 yards from goal in the half spaces rather than on the halfway line. He’ll be twice as dangerous and teams will more likely sit back against us. I agree with ASM in his interview where he said if he was beating one man and then could square to Mbappe to finish, his assists would go through the roof and people would say he’s amazing.

Wish I could like this twice. I’ve no idea what the hell is wrong with some so-called *football* supporters of my club.

“With loans” lmao! So condescending. I know we’re technically loaded but it’s not a forgone conclusion that we will own world football in the near future!

Joe —— Bruno —— Willock For me I take Willock over Longstaff. Willock could genuinely break from midfield knowing he’s got a decent short to mid-range passer to find him and good legs to cover if the move breaks down. If Willock scores 1 or 2 (his composure in and near the box is better than Longstaff’s and Joe’s) then he could get on a run again. It would also stop opposition defenders honey-potting around Maxi

how many years imprisonment for theft would you get if you straight swapped Clark for Burn? 5? 6?

You’re absolutely right. It’s like those England cricket fans who loved Kevin Pietersen’s centuries in India or against the Aussies but used to cry that he’s not a team player because he dared try hit a spinner for 6 (usually when on 90-odd, so he’d already contributed). ASM is about the only good thing we have got (with Trippier). Of course he’s got to dribble on half way, how else will we get our slow, no mobility pass-shy team up the pitch? Hoof it to Wood and see if it’ll stick, with no-one having legs in and around him? This team has fundamental issues. All the best teams have players who can rotate positions or be dynamic. In the 2000s under SBR we had Dyer, a central midfielder who could break position to run behind the last man onto one of Nobby’s through balls. He could do it as he had the legs to get back in position and he could trust the whole team to keep a highish line and slow play down til he could get back. This team has nobody who is dynamic and can exploit other areas of the pitch from their starting position. That’s the noticeable thing about Ryan Fraser. His Bournemouth play showed him interchanging with Wilson, getting in behind the last man and running the shoulder of the CB in the half space. He clearly hasn’t got the legs to do that now. Nobody in midfield has the legs or ability to move up the pitch quickly (Willock did it a bit last year). If we kept drawing 0-0 because we couldn’t score I’d accept some complaint about ASM. The fact is, you can fix 142 problems with this newcastle team, and only *then* would you need to fix ASM.

Where I question Howe is in his judgment of the merits of players relative to one another. Our squad is terrible but a manager has to make the most of the assets he’s got available. From day 1 he should have prioritised playing Fernandez and Schär as our best centre backs/defenders. Quite how he didn’t know Fede defends better than Clarke and Lascelles is beyond me. He should have had the balls to choose a new captain (Wilson probably, or Fede) so he wasn’t hamstrung by playing Lascelles. Perhaps that would have given everyone a hunger to work harder knowing it’s a truly new regime with a clean slate. He should have got Ritchie out of left back for Lewis. At least with Lewis his natural instincts would be correct at full back. Howe should also have prioritised ability to cover ground and play short passes competently in CM. Options aren’t great but at the least don’t get overrun by putting Hayden, Willock, and one other with legs in there (we now know it’s Joe). Overall, he’s been too friendly. He talks about not wanting to hurt the squad’s egos far too much. Being a soft patsy-manager doesn’t work with these players, it’s what Bruce did. Just with high intensity interval football training. The players clearly need to know new high standards are being set. Don’t ask players to play your new system Eddie, tell them To play it!

but he is a very impotent person?

He’s not great aerially but other than that, I want this guy.

It’s like asking Floyd Mayweather “couldn’t you have beaten Manny Pacquiao 5 years earlier” or asking Lennox Lewis “why didn’t you fight Tyson in 1995?” Tyson Fury thanked Deontay Wilder as you need a “good dance partner” to get a good boxing match on. Transfer negotiations between two teams seems similar to me. There’s little point criticising the club as though it is solely responsible for the timing of deals. The club’s doing its best, which is better than the last regime would have done. Let’s be patient but support the new regime.

And Pardew. There’s no discretion either with the King. You see him: you do it

I gag every time I see Hendrick in that position. In the team is bad enough. Out on the right flank is the vilest form of perverse!

If he can shift all of our deadwood to the likes of Celtic and Reading he’ll be worth his weight in gold! Part of a successful January will be finding takers for our garbage. So a “Transfers Out Director” could be ideal

When your dog craps on the carpet you rub his nose on it? Brutal lol

I think we’ll win fairly comfortably, 2-0 or 3-1. Pundits and media saying the players are a disgrace and asking where that performance was under Bruce. They’ll be annoyingly saying Eddie’s not had time to embed new tactics yet so that’s still a Bruce system and should be credited as a Bruce result. Me to be so angry I throw my tv through my lounge window 3 well needed points though

My heart is literally bursting with love and respect. I need a long sit down. Wow ?

Brutal ?

Ruel Fox? Sir Les? Tino? Or am I being whooshed?